Page:The Granite Monthly Volume 2.djvu/145

 LAWYERS AND POLITICIANS.

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��tors, our best writers and finest scholars in various branches. The presidents, with very few exceptions, have been lawyers, and a large majority of the cab- inet officers, senators and congressmen were students and practisersof the law, and whoever states that these men suc- ceeded through 4, cheek," rather than by knowledge and ability, insults the intelli- gence of the American people. "Cheek" is alow word, and has a low meaning, but pluck is an essential element of legal and other success. Lawyers as a class, are as well educated and as well cultured men, as can be found in the community, and any well informed, unprejudiced teacher, clergyman, doctor, or even school-boy, will tell you so. They are preferred for public stations, — for mem- bers of the Board of Education, for of- fices of trust and responsibility in various organizations, and for important posi- tions in society, church and state. Un- doubtedly, there are dishonorable lawyers as well as dishonorable barbers and butchers, bakers and candlestick-makers, but the statistics of criminality show lawyers to be better behaved than jour- nalists and doctors, and even the minis- ters, who generally conduct themselves pretty tolerably well. Undoubtedly, there are ignorant and "cheeky" law- yers, as well as ignorant and "cheeky" scribblers for the magazines; but the writer speaks of them as a class, when he writes down the profession " as one to be dodged by that man who hopes to live a life acceptable to himself and the community."

"No rogue e'er felt the halter draw, With good opinion of the law."

Has the writer recently received a curt collection letter, or has he been righteously whipped in a law-suit? All ! here may be a clue to his biliousness. He says, people should not complain, "except, perhaps, when they aspire to office of honor, trust or profit, and find an attorney and counsellor at law ready to fill the bill to their exclusion." We are sorry that the writer has met with disappointments in his aspirations, but he is unreasonable in blaming lawyers :.s a class for his personal misfortunes. He

��says, " lawwers are clannish;" but he is in error in his statement, for they are al- most invariably arrayed one against an- other. He would lead us to believe that lawyers are a mean set of people, for even amongst his friends and acquaintances "are worthy and honorable exceptions." We do not happen to know what the writer's associations are, but do know that your average lawyer is a good, whole- hearted citizen. He is a practical man, — he can harness a horse and drive it; he can make a speech, write an article for the newspaper, and saw a cord of wood. The sun does not go down upon his pas- sion, — he will oppose you to-day ; but go a-fishing with you to-morrow, He inves- tigates many subjects ; sees many things ; he thinks much, travels much, reads much, writes much, talks much; he is a broad and deep student of human nature, the grandest of studies; he can give and take hard blows. He has a deep respect for members of his own and other pro- fessions and trades, and has warm friend- ships and many acquaintances amongst them. He is a genial companion, a good family man, well-informed and handy as a friend. He is public-spirited ; does not sit in judgment on other men and their vocation and cases, but does his best for his clients. He has an immense sense of the ridiculous; but a deep reverence for things holy, and is charged with a fund of interesting anecdote. His is a grand and deep science. It may not be grander and deeper than theology or medicine, but a life-time of application to it would fall far £hort of its accomplishment. To be a good lawyer, he must love his work. Law is that order which pervades and constrains all existence, and in these days of civilization, enlightenment, invention, improvement, progress. — in these days of a million competitions and complica- tionsof trades, governments, laws, trans- actions, no one can afford to sneer at an upright lawyer. Wherever are law and order and peace, there are lawyers. Where all is chaos and confusion, there is no mission or opportuity for lawyers. The writer referred to lias gone on to discuss the members of other professions and has drawn some vewy invidious dis-

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